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Topic: trapouts (Read 1053 times)

i've seen several videos on doing a trapout. most use a cone shaped screen that acts as a bee escape. they get out but not back in. i have 2 trapouts to do that are in the vents of brick parapets on buildings with flat roofs. i'm toying with the idea out making a flat framed screen, cutting a small hole in the center, & attaching a bee escape ( the type used on an inner cover to vacate supers ). anyone have any opinions on whether this would work?? i could also attach a piece of tubing at the outside of the escape & run that into the my catch box attached to the building. that way the only way back to the hive would be thru my box. the other brain f*rt i had was to attach a hose to a funnel & pouring some bee quick into the cavity the bees are in.

Can't imagine why it wouldn't....But, there's only one way to find out. :)

Let us know how it turns out.

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"We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions." - Ronald Reagan

A solid wood box with an escape might work. A screen box, they would never find the escape.The beequick will not make them leave brood.If they go back in through the dark box, they will find the hole they came out of and re-enter the building.

"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

A solid wood box with an escape might work. A screen box, they would never find the escape.The beequick will not make them leave brood.If they go back in through the dark box, they will find the hole they came out of and re-enter the building.

Great video, lots of good information...Thanks for posting the link, I really enjoyed watching it. :)

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"We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions." - Ronald Reagan

The tube to your box will provide no advantage. Bees leave the nest to forage and will not take note of where they finally get out of the tube. They will go about their foraging and return to the original entrance location, not your box.

I have poured beequick into a tree nest and although the bees where not happy about it, they would not abandon the brood (or queen).

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"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison

i've seen the video in the link before. it is a great source. so iddee, if i build say a 2"x2" framework with a plywood top & install a bee escape in the plywood & attach that to the house, might that work? i guess the bees would see the light coming thru the bee escape. i'd then put my hive box right up against the plywood to attract the bees. i plan on putting some old drawn out frames & a frame of honey in my box. would a bee vac help in this scenario? these vents are formed by installing 6 bricks vertically side by side & leaving the mortar out of the vertical joints. i'm trying to avoid removing & reinstalling any bricks but that may not be realistic. i've been told that if i'm successfull in drawing out the queen & establishing the hive in my box that afterwards when i rmove my cover the girls will then rob out the honey stored in the old hive. any truth in this?

I have never tried the box, but I think it would work fine. Yes, the light would attract them to the exit. You want the catchbox entrance as near their original entrance as possible. Don't leave a frame of honey in the box. They will be coming back loaded with supplies, and the honey frame would just attract robbers and pests.Either the first or second day, add a frame of EGGS. No reason for a bee vac.

When I do a weep hole in brick, I use a normal cone sealed to the brick with silicone. I brace it some way until the silicone drys, then it stays on it's own. Be patient. It will take from 6 to 12 weeks, and can not be rushed. Yes, after the queen and all the bees are out, you can let them rob it out. There will be a frenzy for a couple of days, then they will ignore the building and work from the box to the field. Check the hive 6 to 9 days after setup for queen cells. If none found, add another frame of eggs. When the escape is removed, watch for pollen going in. If EVEN ONE bee carries pollen into the building, the queen is still in there.

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"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

thanks! i know & have told both homeowners that this is a slow process. i'll check with a friend to see whether he can spare a frame of brood. i lost 4 of 5 hives this winter & found the queen dead on top of the inner cover of my last hive. there is a new queen still in the cage being introduced to that hive. so at this point i have no brood to spare. the frames i'm putting in the box have been treated with BT so moths should not be an issue

a couple more questions-a friend just requeened some hives & has the old queens banked in cages. would putting a caged queen in the trapout box help to draw out the queen being trapped? can queens be killed while still in a cage?

"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

I haven't heard of many successful uses of it other than Mr. Hogan, but he says it works well.

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"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

iddee-thanks for that link. this looks like it should work well in the situation that i'm dealing with. i'll give it a whirl & let you know how it goes. the red funnel in the tunnel looks like it is a bee escape.